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President Jacob Zuma is expected to focus on economics during his State of the Nation address in Parliament on Thursday. Photo: Bongiwe Mchunu
Cape Town - President Jacob Zuma is expected to focus mainly on economic issues in his State of the Nation (SONA) address at Thursday evening's official opening of Parliament for 2012.
Zuma's address will be made against a backdrop of world economic turmoil, vast international debt, and high levels of local unemployment, pegged at about 24 percent.
Democratic Alliance parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko said South Africans wanted to be inspired and excited about their future.
“They don't want to be presented with another bureaucratic check-list of targets and promises,” she told journalists at Parliament on Wednesday.
“They want the president to be bold and decisive, to put their needs before the internal politics of the tripartite alliance.”
Zuma should start by being honest about his government's shortcomings, such as the failure to keep the pledges made in previous addresses.
Key broken promises related to, among others, job creation, the training lay-off scheme, the youth wage subsidy, creating an enabling environment for growth and jobs, service delivery, health and corruption.
“President Zuma must use his address this year to reverse this legacy of non-delivery and broken promises, by providing bold solutions to key challenges facing South Africans and following through with them.”
Zuma should take a much bolder approach to boost economic growth, and stimulate job creation. His approach should focus on encouraging private sector-led growth, and removing impediments to rapid economic growth, Mazibuko said.
“This year, President Zuma must bridge the divide between his promises and delivering on them. South Africa needs visionary leadership, innovative policies designed to address key challenges facing the country, as well as the political will to get things done. In doing this, promoting economic growth and job creation must be the president's focus,” she said.
Asked at a news briefing at Parliament this week what he thought the main thrust of this year's address would be, National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu responded by saying “jobs, jobs, jobs”.
“Jobs, job creation, and the growth of the economy,” he added.
Also on an economic note, Congress of the People spokesperson Nic Koornhof said Zuma's address was being made against the background of Moody's and Fitch revising South Africa's credit rating downwards.
“He cannot ignore the perception that the (National Treasury's) grip on fiscal policy is less tight and without his full support during his term of office so far.”
For that reason, the Treasury under the leadership of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan should get his full support to run a tighter fiscal framework and ensure that spending decreased, and the state wage bill was contained and kept below inflation for the next few years.
It was time for Zuma to make it clear he was in full support of the Treasury and would not tolerate bad spending and ineffective implementation, Koornhof said.
Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder expected “certainty and hope” in Zuma's address.
“Certainty that investments and property rights in South Africa will be safe, and hope that the government will be prepared to review economic measures which are currently dampening economic growth,” he said.
Certainty was applicable to especially foreign investors, local mining managers, and South African farmers, who in recent times had had to listen to comments about the nationalisation of mines and land.
“A clear statement against nationalisation and in favour of property rights will help bring back certainty and confidence,” Mulder said.
Congress of South African Trade Unions spokesperson Patrick Craven said Cosatu expected Zuma to continue rolling out the policies in the ANC election manifesto. These prioritised creation of decent work and sustainable livelihoods, education, health, rural development, food security and land reform, and the fight against crime and corruption.
Cosatu hoped Zuma's speech would contain good news on progress in implementing the plans contained in the New Growth Path and Industrial Policy Action Plans.
“These plans - restructuring the economy from one dominated by mining, heavy chemicals, and finance, to one that is labour-absorbing and environmentally sound - remain the key to reaching government’s goal of creating five million decent, sustainable jobs by 2020.
Cosatu also looked forward to a firm assurance from the president that the Protection of State Information Bill would be radically redrafted to ensure it could never be used to classify evidence of crime and corruption as “secret” or to criminalise whistle-blowers who exposed such information, Craven said.
Business Unity SA (Busa) expected Zuma to give a firm sense that 2012 “is the year of accelerated implementation of policies and programmes that have been agreed and funded”.
It was recognised that growth and job creation by the private sector were maximised in an environment that offered policy certainty, predictability, continuity, and coherence.
“Busa therefore hopes that the SONA’s overall message will underpin investor confidence and the role of business to strengthen economic recovery and promote growth.”
Busa said the prioritisation of job creation, poverty reduction, education, economic transformation, infrastructural development, and growth should be invested with a new sense of urgency. - Sapa
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Anonymous, wrote
Dear @ALL...kindly elucidate the attempted meaning of your response of late(to my earlier pointing out of a spelling error made by yourself)given at 3:25 pm for by virtue of your utilisation of what can only be described as sub-standard and possible semi-illiterate methods of communication, it is simply impossible to extract any positive and meaningful contribution from it regarding this topical discussion. Speak to Zuma. Maybe he can educate you (God forbid).
@ALL, wrote
@Anon 02:46 please don't make a big deal out of a spelling error, as u sure know it is. I dnt need 2 educate myself in anything as u can also read the comment its 'if it wasn't for WHITE ppl, or if it wasn't for BLACK ppl' indirectly using Mr Pres as a scapegoat.
Anonymous, wrote
dear @ALL......please educate yourself before labeling others as racists and learn to spell 'racism' as racism and not 'rasism'
Anonymous, wrote
Zuma could kill a corpse again with his reading of his uninspiring and worthless shower-head persona....I think tonight I'd rather go watch the paint dry on my wall than listen to empty promises
JennyN, wrote
To VTM and Mams : It boggles the mind that there are still people like you who blindly worship zuma. Do you not realise that his vulgar extravagances, his wives, children, comrades - are being paid for by you and I. The corruption that is so rife throughout national and local government, is being funded by YOU and I. The secrecy bill is being pushed through so that you and I don't find out about their greed, incompetence, lies. Does it not bother you? Don't you think that you and I deserve better than this? Zuma is the head of a very rotten fish, and remember - a fish rots from the head. He is not deserving of respect, let alone worship. You need to spend a few days in a government hospital, or trying to get a drivers' licence, or sitting in a school in a rural area where children don't have even the most basic amenities. This is what zuma has done to South AFrica. Are you ok with that? Well, I most certainly am not and I will not be listening to any of the rubbish that he spews every time he opens his mouth. He and the entire anc have failed. They are a disgrace.
Precious, wrote
There isnt much Zuma can do. Remember who he has advising him. His hands are tied, we need some one with brains and morals and integrity to lead us. Is there no good man? Not even one?
Precious, wrote
It is the private sector that can create jobs, it must be made easier for them. Govt jobs are paid for by the private sector taxes. The stringent laws governing the private sector must be eased. How about the out of works trying to help themselves, there are a lot of black entrepreneurs out there. Give them a leg up, help them by sending knowledgable people too show them skills. We must all pull together.
JJ, wrote
JJ, wrote
He better make sure that all his buddies and family gets jobs and tenders,there must be somebody he left out,and he must make sure that more state institutions become bankdrump and that apartheid is blamed for some more ANC failures,we expect nothing less.
Dick Long, wrote
The State of the Nation can be stated in one word:DOOMED! However,this bumbling thief will read through reams of paper, making new unattainable promises, sweeping failed promises under the carpet..
@ALL, wrote
To all of you who commented here, YOU GO TO HELL with your rasism comments, SA would be better without all of you.
fred, wrote
Zuma will certainly inspire a lot of people, encouraging them to double their efforts at stealing money from the taxpayer. We now have Parliament, Eskom, the RTMC, SANRAL, SAA, Eastern Cape, Limpopo and soon PRASA, all spending billions of rand they do not have in their budgets on big managerMP salaries, luxury cars, parties, air travel and expensive hotel accommodation. Oh, not to mention the billion rand tenders awarded to people closely associated with the ANC cadres.
Sandra, wrote
Situation, wrote
Anonymous, wrote
Dukie 743, wrote
@mams-- Was your comment tongue in cheek? Zuma is the ONLY president South Africa has had for the last two years. Also he is the richest. He pays no income tax by law and because of his security, his house at Nkandla and his three wives, fiances, and 26 children all financially paid for by we taxpayers he is a financial burden. There is no doubt that corruption and looting within government has increased ten fold since he became president. It is believed by many South Africans that people within government are merely following his example and if he had had the courage to face his NPA accusers in court and prove his innocence of the couuruption allegations then people would have more respect for him and may even stop ridiculing the man at every opportunity. It is up to people like you Mamms, who obviously worship and idolise the very ground that Zuma treads, to be a man and invite the NPA to recharge him so that he can prove his innocence of the hundreds of allegations of corruption hanging over his head for the rest of his life.
bell, wrote
@Mams, wrote
Lets stop moarning and whining. Here goes one of the most succesful president in the last two years. Go to Europe and enjoy the debt. Tell the world how SA is..
VTM, wrote
Zuma my president I trust in you.All this stupid talking nonsense about you will be suprise at what good you have in you...AMANDLA!!!!
slaka, wrote
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